plainly
/ˈpleɪnli/adverb
plainly is spelled P-L-A-I-N-L-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, plainly means “In a plain manner; simply; basically” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in plainly?
| Letters | 7: P-L-A-I-N-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is plainly?
Plainly appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce plainly?
- /ˈpleɪnli/
Plainly has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-plainly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of plainly
- plainlier comparative
- more plainly comparative
- plainliest superlative
- most plainly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plainly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a plain manner; simply; basically.
She decorated the room plainly but neatly.
- 2
Obviously; clearly.
You will see that ours is plainly the better method.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Plainly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | simplement , clairement |
| Spanish | a palo seco |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does plainly come from?
From Middle English playnly, pleinly, pleyneliche, equivalent to plain + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).